


Yu-Gi-Oh! Phantom Duelist Y

by fearjunkie



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Gen, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-10 20:38:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13509351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fearjunkie/pseuds/fearjunkie
Summary: In Saphira City, there is a sinister plot that could spell the doom of the world...standing in its way is the mysterious 'Phantom Duelist Y', a phantom thief that uses a blend of Dueling, illusions, and trickery to steal from evildoers in the name of his own justice. But who is this Phantom Duelist, and what is his overall objective?





	Yu-Gi-Oh! Phantom Duelist Y

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, this was a strange idea. It came about when I hit some writer's block while working on Two Jokers In Every Deck, and I was watching LittleKuriboh's Desert Island Deck videos when the idea for this came into existence. Don't worry- I still intend to continue work on Two Jokers, but I'll also be doing this on the side. I expect this is going to be goofy and cheesy as hell at times, but hey, that's Yu-Gi-Oh for you.
> 
> You're going to see a number of original cards in this work, but there will be a breakdown of every original card that shows up in each chapter at the end of the chapter.

Saphira City...a jewel on the Japanese coast line, with gleaming skyscrapers and one of the most diverse city populations in the country. It was home to some of the greatest duelists of their time, and unbeknownst to its populace, it was about to be the stage for a story that they would tell their children, and their children's children, who would tell their children's children, about what happened in this city.

 

-Arc One: Rise of the Phantom-

-Chapter 1: The Mysterious Phantom Duelist Y-

 

That story began at a high school known as St. Justine Academy- a fairly well-respected institution of learning. The morning class of Mr. Fukumoto was filing into their seats, as Mr. Fukumoto- a balding man well into his late fifties- was standing in front of the class. “Alright, before we begin, we have a new student joining us today.” he said. He looked around the room, but could not find the new student seated anywhere. “At least, he was _supposed_ to be joining us today.” he added. One of the students in the front row sighed in frustration. Her name was Katherine 'Kat' Davis, the daughter of an American musician and president of the school's Duel Monsters club. She was a fairly attractive young adult- 17 years old, with long, fine hair the color of amethysts (a strange color, but she always insisted it was her natural color), brown eyes, and a cute upturned nose. However, she had reputation as a perfectionist and a strict follower of rules who expected everyone else to do the same.

“Late on your first day at a new school?” Katherine muttered to nobody in particular. “How flagrant...”

 

Meanwhile, another student- Takeru Katayama, another member of the Duel Monsters club who had a reputation as a troublemaking student with spiked up hair dyed platinum blonde and bright green eyes- had his feet up on his desk. “Can't say I blame him...” he said to himself. “If I transferred in here, I'd want to ditch, too!”

 

However, both students were proven wrong as the new student walked in. He had a distinctive appearance- jet black hair with bright red bangs and eight locks of hair that stuck out from the side of his head (four on each side, and noticeably longer than the rest of his hair) , bright blue eyes, and a school uniform so clean and free of wrinkles it was as if it just came out of dry cleaning. The boy smiled apologetically at the teacher.

“Sorry I'm late,” he said. “I took a wrong turn in the hallway and got lost.”

 

Mr. Fukumoto sighed. “Fine, I'll let it slide since you're new here, but you better be on time from here on out. Now, why don't you introduce yourself to the class.”

 

“Sure thing.” said the student as he walked to the front of the class. “My name is Yuhei Akuto. I just moved into Saphira City, but I'm living on my own...my dad was a stage magician and taught me everything he knew.” With a small smile, Yuhei held out an empty hand, then closed it. Before everyone's eyes, he opened his hand back up to reveal a blue handkerchief. The students gasped in awe.

 

“Very impressive!” remarked Mr. Fukumoto. “Though I can't help but notice you said 'was'...did he retire?”

 

A sad expression crossed Yuhei's face. “He disappeared while on tour in Europe.” he said quietly. Awkward silence filled the room, only to be cut when Yuhei smiled again. “But I don't like to talk about that, it just depresses people! I look forward to getting to know you all!”he said cheerfully.

Yuhei took a seat behind Katherine and diagonally adjacent to Takeru. The class proceeded as normal, and after school let out for the day, Yuhei was packing up his books when Katherine walked up to him. “That was pretty impressive, that trick with the handkerchief.” said Katherin. “Do play Duel Monsters?”

 

Yuhei shrugged. “I dabble.” he said casually. “Why do you ask?”

“I'm Katherine Davis, president of the Duel Monsters club.” said Katherine. “I was wondering if you were interested in joining.”

“Ah, Kat-chan, you trying to recruit the new guy?” interrupted Takeru.

Katherine scowled. “Don't you have someone better to annoy, Takeru? And stop calling me 'Kat', I hate it when you call me that!”

“Sure, I'll join.” said Yuhei. “Sounds like fun!”

 

“Great!” said Katherine. “Our meeting's in five minutes in the school's courtyard.”

 

“F-five minutes?” repeated Yuhei. “You could have at least told me that you were meeting _today_.”

 

 

 

After Yuhei found the deck he kept in his backpack, he walked out to the school courtyard to see a crowd of students. After looking over the group as a whole, he noticed something that seemed odd for a Duel Monsters club.

 

“Hey, why doesn't anyone have a Duel Disk?” asked Yuhei. “Are we doing this analog?”

“No,” answered Katherine. “Because the D-Fields that Duel Disks make can be a nuisance for people trying to navigate around the school, we're only allowed to use two Duel Disks owned by the school.”

Yuhei was familiar with D-Fields- with the ever increasing popularity of Duel Monsters and impromptu duels in the streets, sometimes the Solid Vision holograms (tangible holographic images) could cause property damage, so the companies that produced the Duel Disks created a special Solid Vision projection system that would create a sizable 'force field' around the duel area.

 

“Why don't you let me have a crack at the newbie?” asked Takeru.

 

“I don't think you should go around asking to 'have a crack' at people...” scolded Katherine, but Yuhei didn't seem to mind. “Sure, sounds like fun.” said Yuhei.

Takeru grinned. “Alright, but I'll warn you- I'm the best duelist in the club!” he boasted.

Yuhei laughed. “We'll see if that's still true after today.” he said. He grabbed a Duel Disk from one of the club members, and Takeru took the other. They both booted up their Duel Disks. “Duel Start!” they said in unison. “D-Field, activate!”

A circular force field surrounded the two duelists, isolating their fight from the rest of the world.

 

“I'll let you go first, since you're new.” said Takeru.

“Sounds good to me!” Yuhei said cheerfully. He drew his opening hand and looked through his cards. “Hm....I'm going to set a card face down, and summon Goe Goe the Gallant Ninja in Attack Mode!”

On Yuhei's side of the field emerged a skinny, blue haired ninja wielding a Japanese-style smoking pipe so large he carried it like a quarterstaff. Goe Goe grinned cheekily at Takeru.

“Ninjas, huh?” remarked Takeru. “Not many people run those.”

Yuhei chuckled. “What can I say?” he replied. “I'm not like most people. That being said, I end my turn.”

 

“Alright, then I'll go!” said Takeru, drawing a card. He grinned. “I summon Crystron Thystvern in Attack Mode!”

 

On Takeru's side on the field appeared a mechanical dragon made out of large chunks of amethyst. “Surely, that's not the end of your turn!” said Yuhei. “After all, Goe Goe and Thystvern have the same Attack Points- 1500 each! If you attacked me, both our monsters would be destroyed!”

 

“Well, aren't you the clever one?” asked Takeru. “Well, you're right! I activate the Spell Card 'Double Summon'! It lets me Normal Summon one more monster during my turn, and I'm gonna use that extra Summon to bring out Crystron Quan!”

A small blue humanoid robot made of blue crystal emerged on Takeru's side of the field. “Now, I know what you're thinking- Quan's a Tuner monster, so he's gonna Synchro Summon something, right? Well, you're wrong! I'm gonna Link Summon!”

 

On the ground in front of Takeru, a square, hollow symbol with in a circle emerged. The square was surrounded by eight sides by arrowheads pointing in different directions, like a compass rose. “Arrowheads confirmed!” shouted Takeru. “The summoning conditions are two monsters, including a Tuner! I set Crystron Thystvern and Crystron Quan in the Link Markers!”

Thystvern and Quan turned into brilliantly shining orbs of red light and entered the arrows in the lower left and lower right. “Circuit combine!” shouted Takeru. “Link Summon! Appear, Crystron Needlefiber!”

A pool of light formed in the center of the symbol and a shape emerged from it: a mechanical humanoid made of light blue crystals.

“Impressive.” said Yuhei. Takeru grinned. “If you think that's impressive, wait 'til you get a load of what he can do! When I successfully Link Summon Needlefiber, I get to Special Summon a Level 3 or lower Tuner from my hand or deck in Defense Mode. Unfortunately, I can't use that Tuner's effect during this turn, but I'm not gonna need it! I Special Summon Crystron Rion from my deck!”

 

A mechanical, cyclopic humanoid made of steel and silvery-gray crystals appeared in front of Takeru, arms crossed in a defensive stance.

 

“And with that, I set a card face down and I end my turn!” Takeru said confidently as he set a card in his backrow.

 

Yuhei drew a card and grinned. “Sorry to rain on your parade after that incredible performance, but Needlefiber won't be sticking around for long! I summon Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo in Attack Mode.”

 

A ninja in a black and red outfit appeared on Yuhei's side of the field in a swirling gust of air. “Now Hanzo's effect activates- when I summon him, I get to add a 'Ninjitsu Art' card from my Deck to my hand- which I'm gonna immediately set!”

 

Yuhei set a card in his backrow.

“But I'm not done yet- Now that I've got Hanzo and Goe Goe out, I can really kick things off!” declared Yuhei. “I overlay with Goe Goe and Hanzo!”

 

The two ninjas turned into clusters of purple light as a spiral-like rift emerged in front of Yuhei that sucked the lights into itself. “I Xyz Summon the Rank 4 monster Blade Armor Ninja!”

 

Out of the rift came a ninja completely clad in steel armor, covered in sharp edges in angles, that brandished a pair of katanas. “And now, I attack your Crystron Needlefiber with Blade Armor Ninja!”

 

Blade Armor Ninja lunged at Needlefiber, swords at the ready to make a killing blow when Takeru grinned. “Not so fast, Yuhei!” interrupted Takeru. “I activate my Trap Card, 'Sakuretsu Armor'! When you declare an attack, I get to destroy your attacking monster!”

 

Yuhei recoiled in mild shock as thick spiky armor formed around Needlefiber. Yuhei's Blade Armor Ninja tried to change its trajectory mid-leap, but it was too late- the Ninja collided with the Sakuretsu Armor, impaling itself. “I'll admit, that was a good play...” conceded Yuhei. “Guess I can't do anything else but end my turn.”

Takeru chuckled. “You left yourself wide open for my Crystrons to clobber you!” he said. “I draw, and then I activate Needlefiber's effect! I can banish him to Special Summon a Tuner Synchro monster from my Extra Deck and count that as a Synchro Summon!”

 

A dark vortex appeared in the sky, sucking Crystron Needlefiber into it. “I Special Summon Crystron Ametrix in Attack Mode!”

 

A brilliant pool of light emerged where Needlefiber once stood, and out of it emerged an elegant feminine mechanoid with angelic wings made of amethyst. “But I'm not done yet- I activate the Spell Card 'Star Changer'! It lets me increase or decrease the Level of any face-up monster on the field by 1, so I'm going increase Ametrix's Level from 5 to 6!”

 

Ametrix became awash in a gold-orange glow. “But I'm _still_ not done!” said Takeru. “Now that Ametrix is Level 6, I activate the Spell Card 'Resonant Conversion'! It lets me treat one face-up Tuner monster I control that's Level 4 or lower as a Tuner Synchro Monster, but it gets destroyed at the end of my turn...which doesn't really matter, because I 'm going to make Crystron Rion a Tuner Synchro monster and tune it with Crystron Ametrix to Synchro Summon my best monster- Crystron Phoenix!”

 

Rion began to shine brilliantly before bursting into three rings of light. Ametrix swooped down and flew through each ring, glowing brighter and brighter as she passed through each ring. When she emerged through the final ring, Ametrix burst into golden light, revealing a new monster- a brilliant red robot with bejeweled shoulder pads and mechanical tendrils that ended in crimson gemstones. “Now that I've Synchro Summoned Crystron Phoenix, its effect activates and banishes all Spell and Trap Cards you control or have in your Graveyard!”

 

Yuhei looked on in shock as Crystron Phoenix's tendrils lashed out and grabbed his face down card before hurling it into another dark vortex in the sky. “And now that I know you've got no tricks up your sleeve, I can end this duel!” said Takeru. “I summon another Crystron Thystvern, and attack you directly! Go, Crystron Thystvern- Gem Wing Strike!”

 

Yuhei braced himself as Thystvern flapped its wings, launching a barrage of crystal shards at him. Even though Solid Vision holograms were not meant to cause serious physical injury, getting hit by them still hurt.

 

**Yuhei's Life Points: 4000 > 2500**

 

“And now, to finish you off!” shouted Takeru. “Crystron Phoenix, Gem Sting Assault!”

 

Yuhei cried out in pain as Crystron Phoenix's jewel-tipped tendrils whipped him mercilessly, knocking him over in the process.

 

**Yuhei's Life Points: 2500 > 0**

 

“And that's the game!”cheered Takeru.

 

 _If only Takeru was as good a student as he is a duelist,_ thought Katherine. Yuhei slowly stood up from where he collapse. “That was a good game!” he said happily, taking his loss in stride as he dusted himself off. “Well, I gotta go. See you guys next meet!”

 

 

 

The next day, Yuhei came to class to find his classmates swarmed around Takeru's desk and talking over each other. Yuhei walked up to the gaggle of students, finding Katherine at the outer edge of the crowd. “What's going on?” asked Yuhei. However, as the crowd moved around, Yuhei got an idea of what all the hubbub was about. Takeru was slumped against his desk, his head cradled in his hands. Despite the angle Takeru was holding his head at, Yuhei could see that Takeru had a black eye.

“Who did this?” asked Yuhei. “Some fat baldy in an expensive lookin' suit callin' himself Boss Romano.” said Takeru, sounding pained. “Pulled up to me in a limo and told me to hand over my Crystron Phoenix. I told him to get lost, he snaps his fingers and two dudes in suits hop out of the limo and beat the snot outta me. And to add insult to injury, while his goons were working me over, he took my Crystron Phoenix.”

 

“So what are you going to do?” asked Yuhei. Takeru sighed in defeat. “Can't really do anything.” he said. “Romano's got goons protecting him. There's no way I can get my card back.”

 

Yuhei frowned at how hopeless Takeru sounded. This couldn't stand...he had to do something.

 

–

 

It was late in the afternoon at the mansion of Boss Romano. Romano was a powerful man in Saphira City- he was head of the city's mob and had a tight grip of its criminal underbelly. Nobody did anything without Romano's nod of approval. As a result, Romano felt pretty invincible. He reveled in his feeling of being invincible as he sat in his luxurious private study, smoking a cigar and locking away his new Crystron Phoenix card in his private vault when one of his underlings walked up to him, with a note in hand. “Uh, boss?” said the underling. “We found this on the front door...nobody knows who left it.”

 

“Gimme that!” croaked Romano, snatching the note from his underling's hand and reading it:

 

_To Boss Romano_

 

_At midnight, I will come to steal back the card you took._

 

_Yours truly,_

 

_Phantom Duelist Y_

 

“'Phantom Duelist'? What kind of joke is this?” snorted Romano. “I want everyone patrolling this place all night! Nobody gets in!”

 

As the sun set and Romano's underlings patrolled the mansion, a figure lurked outside the building. He had a very distinctive appearance- a silvery-white tuxedo with a matching opera cape and top hat, a gold ring with a large sapphire inset worn over white gloves, and a domino mask that seemed to draw inspiration from the appearance of the Blue Eyes White Dragon- it even had the pronged fins on the sides of the mask. The masked man grinned as he put a hand to a Duel Disk that matched the color of his outfit.

 

“It's showtime!” he said.

 

The phantom's partner appeared behind him- a little Kuriboh, adorned with a white top hat, a white cape, and a monocle. <Are you sure this is a good idea? You're calling way too much attention to yourself.> said the Kuriboh as he floated in front of the phantom's face. The phantom smiled confidently. “Don't worry, Kuri! It doesn't matter how much attention is drawn, a phantom thief always gets his treasure!”

 

<I really don't like this phantom thief schtick...> said Kuri. The phantom ignored him as he pressed a button on the side of his Duel Disk. There was a pop and a whizzing sound as a grappling hook shot out of the Duel Disk. The hook looped around the safety rail of a balcony on the third floor. The cable attached to the hook began tightening as the phantom began to climb up the side of Romano's mansion.

 

–

 

Inside the mansion, Boss Romano was staring intently at the safe he put the Crystron Phoenix. It was one minute to midnight, and the so-called 'Phantom Duelist' was yet to show up. He kept a grip tight on his communication handset. Maybe the Phantom Duelist wouldn't show up. However, as the clock struck midnight, Romano's handset buzzed wildly with multiple calls. “He's in the foyer!” screamed a guard over the handset. Romano bolted out of his chair and made a dash for the foyer. It was there that Romano saw a figure clad in a white tuxedo and top hat running away from his goons. “What are you doing!” screamed Romano. “Capture him!”

 

Romano and the guards began gaining on the Phantom Duelist as they chased him down the hallway. “Gotcha!” shouted a goon as he grabbed the Phantom by his tuxedo coattails. However, as the goon pulled on the coattails, they discovered that the Phantom Duelist they were chasing was, in fact an inflatable dummy being propelled by an electric motor. “Wait a minute...” said Romano. “If this is just a dummy, that means-”

 

Romano screamed as he realized what had just happened. He and the guards rushed back to Romano's private study to see the real Phantom Duelist Y emptying out Romano's safe.

 

“Whole lot of stolen cards in this safe of yours, Romano!” said Y. “I bet their owners are gonna be real happy to be reunited with these.”

 

“Who are you?!” screeched Romano. The thief grinned and spread out his arms with a flourish. “I am the Phantom Duelist, 'Y'!” he answered.

 

Romano laughed. “Some Phantom you are!” he jeered. “That Crystron Phoenix is a fake! I know you were coming for it, so I switched the one in the safe with a replica after I got your note!”

 

Y checked the card and found that Romano wasn't bluffing- it was a pretty shoddy copy, but he was in such a rush to grab the card and get out that he hadn't noticed. “So? I've got all these other cards you stole!” said Y.

 

“But you won't leave this card behind...it's the whole reason you're here!” said Romano with a vicious grin.

Romano put up his hands in mock surrender. “Fine, I give...” he said. “By the way, nice Duel Disk.”

 

“Huh, what Duel-”

 

Romano looked down at his wrist. Somehow, a Duel Disk had been put on his wrist. “What the- when did this get on me?” he shouted. Y grinned. “When you dogpiled that dummy, it put a Duel Disk on your arm. Now, it's showtime!”

 

Y activated his Duel Disk and a D-Field crackled to life in the study, cutting Romano off from his henchmen. “It's just you and me, Romano.” said Y. “You win, and you keep all the cards you took. I win, you fork over the Crystron Phoenix and I walk out of here without so much as a bruise.”

 

Romano sneered. “Fine,” he said as he pulled a deck out of a pocket in his suit jacket and put it in the Duel Disk. “But when I win, my boys are gonna use you as a punching bag until we break every bone in your body!”

 

Y laughed at that remark. “'When'? A little presumptuous, don't you think?”

 

“Just shut up and draw your hand already!” shouted Romano. Y laughed as he drew his hand. “Since I'm a guest in your lovely house, I'll let you go first!” he said tauntingly. Romano sneered. “Puttin' me first so I can't attack, huh? I dunno if yer smart, or just a coward.”

 

The mob boss flashed Y an evil grin. “Let's get this over quick, I'll start by Summoning Tour Guide From the Underworld!” he said, playing a monster card. A cute girl with red hair and almost unnoticeable fangs appeared, holding a leather purse with a skull-and-crossbones. Behind her was a rather demonic-looking tour bus.

 

“Now, I activate my Tour Guide's effect!” Romano said with an ugly smirk. “When I Normal Summon her, I get to Special Summon a Level 3 Fiend monster from my Deck. Of course, its effects are negated and I can't use it for a Synchro Summon, but I got other ways to make use of it. So, I'm gonna summon Fiendish Rhino Warrior!”

 

The sinister-looking tour bus opened its door, and out of the vehicle trundled an angry looking creature that was somewhere between rhino and man.

 

“Now that I've got these two out, I can perform a Link Summon!” said Romano. The Link Summoning portal appeared on the field. “Arrowheads confirm: Tour Guide from the Underworld and Fiendish Rhino Warrior. Connect to create Cherubini, Black Angel of the Burning Abyss!”

 

Romano's fiends disappeared from the playing field and into the bottom diagonal arrowheads. Out of the portal emerged a fallen angel with black wings.

 

“With my Link Summon complete, I activate Fiendish Rhino Warrior's ability!” exclaimed Romano. “When Rhino Warrior is sent to my Graveyard, I can send a different Fiend monster from my deck to join him, so I'll send Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss to sleep with the fishes!”

 

“Let me guess,” said Y, sounding thoroughly unimpressed. “Graff has an ability that activates when its sent to the Graveyard.”

“You're pretty clever for a common crook.” said Romano, which greatly offended Y- he was no mere common crook, he was a gentleman thief! He had the outfit and everything!

 

Romano continued: “When Graff is sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a different Burning Abyss monster. Rise! Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!”

 

A glowing red crack opened up in the ground, and from it emerged a large humanoid demon with pig-like features. The beast seemed to be made of black volcanic stone with blue veins covering it. Chains hung loosely from the demon's body as it locked its gaze upon Y and snarled viciously.

 

“Are you done?” Y asked, sounding bored.

 

“Not even close!” said Romano, laughing cruelly. “From my hand, I activate the effect of Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss! Because I currently control no Spell Cards, I can Special Summon him from my hand!”

 

A second crack in the ground spat out a purple-skinned humanoid demon with bat wings and multiple horns. The demon hissed as it clutched a scepter topped with a goat skull. Y yawned.

 

“Are you done yet?” asked Y. “I'd like to leave soon.”

 

“You'll be leavin' in a body bag if you keep disrespectin' me!” squealed Romano. “I overlay Cir and Rubic for an Xyz Summon!”

 

A dark hole emerged in the floor that sucked in the two demons. “Voyager of the darkest inferno! Emerge from the land of suffering to strike down those who transgress against you! Rank 4! Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss!”

 

Out of the void emerged a man in a red tunic with pointed ears and long, black hair done in a long ponytail. Romano placed the Xyz Monster in Defense Mode and detached Cir from it. “Now, I activate Dante's special effect!” announced Romano. “By detaching an Xyz Material, I can send anywhere from 1 to 3 cards from the top of my Deck to the Graveyard. Dante gains 500 Attack Points for each card he mills to my Graveyard, but that's not what I'm after!”

 

Three cards in Romano's Deck went into the Graveyard, and two of them began to shine. Romano gave Y an evil smile. “Would ya look at that! Two Burning Abyss monsters in my Graveyard, each with an ability that gets activated. First, I activate the effect of Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss! I can Special Summon a Level 3 Fiend from my hand with its abilities negated. I Special Summon Alich, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss in Defense Mode!”

 

Another red crack in the ground spat out a vile-looking humanoid demon wearing a white mask. It grinned maliciously at Y as Romano continued his turn. “Now, I activate the effect of my other milled monster, Barbar, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss! I can banish up to 3 Burning Abyss monsters from my Graveyard, excluding Barbar. For each one I banish, you lose 300 Life Points! Get ready for some serious hurt, you good-for-nothing thief! I banish Cir, Graff, and Libic!”

 

The ghostly visage of a squat-looking demon with a large spiked ball on a chain appeared behind Y, using the chain of its weapon to choke Y, holding the chain tight against his throat. Y thought he was about to pass out when the phantom monster finally disappeared.

 

**Y's Life Points: 4000 > 3100**

 

Y coughed and spluttered as he massaged his neck, still feeling sore from the attempted strangulation. Romano laughed at the white-clad Duelist. “With that, I end my turn.” said Romano.

 

 

“Finally.” snarked Y, drawing a card. “I thought we'd be here until New Year's. I summon Master Thief - Zorro the Swashbuckler!”

 

In front of Y emerged a man dressed all in black, with long black hair, a cloth domino mask, and a steel saber.

 

Master Thief – Zorro The Swashbuckler (WIND-Warrior/Effect-LV 4-1700 ATK, 1300 DEF)

 

“Master Thief? Never heard of it.” said Romano, raising an eyebrow. Y grinned like a cat who found an unguarded canary. “It's a one of a kind archetype, made just for me.” he said proudly. Romano smirked. “I look forward to taking 'em while my boys work you over.” he said threateningly. Y just laughed at the threat. “I'm not worried about that.” said Y. “I set two cards face down, and then I attack your Cherubini!”

 

Romano laughed mockingly at Y. “You complete rube!” he guffawed. “Don't you know anything about Cherubini's ability! If it's about to be destroyed by battle or effect, I can just send a card I control to my Graveyard instead! You're just helping me activate my Burning Abyss monsters!”

 

However, Romano was cut short. For once, it was Y that was laughing, and from the tone of his laughter, Romano had missed something. “Oh, I don't want to destroy your Cherubini! I'm attacking it to activate Zorro's effect! By discarding two cards from my hand, I can take control of the monster that Zorro battles!”

 

“WHAT?!” Romano screamed. Zorro leaped towards Cherubini and grappled with it, using the blunt side of his blade to maneuver the fallen angel around. With a hearty shout, Zorro shoved the Link Monster to Y's side of the field, where it stayed.

 

“And with that, I end my turn.” said Y. Romano grit his teeth in anger. “I'm going to feed you to pigs when I'm through with you!” he snarled. “My turn! Draw!”

 

Romano looked at the card he drew and grinned. “Oh, you're in trouble now, you good-for-nothing thief! I activate the Ritual Spell Card 'Good & Evil in the Burning Abyss'!

 

The Spell Card appeared on the field, depicting Dante's face in white and a demon's face in black. “First, I Tribute monsters with a Level total of 6 or more. So, I'll sacrifice my Alich and 'Calcab, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss' from my hand!”

 

Alich became engulfed in a blinding white light and launched itself into Romano's Graveyard as he discarded the Calcab. “Before I bring out my Ritual Monster, my sacrifices activate! Alich negates the effect of a face-up monster until the end of the turn, so I'm gonna make sure your pesky Zorro behaves himself!”

 

The ghostly form of Alich appeared behind Zorro, wrapping him in black iron chains. Zorro struggled hopelessly to break free of his restraints, much to Alich's twisted delight.

 

“And now, Calcab returns a Set Spell or Trap to the owner's hand!” said Romano. “Say goodbye to your face-down!”

 

Y flinched as another demon emerged to throw his face-down back at him. Romano grinned like a shark eyeing its prey. “Now, my Ritual resolves! Tormentor, lord of the darkness! Bind the opposition in unbreakable chains and drag them to the deepest pits of hell! Arise Malacoda, Netherlord of Burning Abyss!”

 

Instead of a small crack, a massive pit opened up in the floor. Magma bubbled and gurgled inside, and the scent of brimstone wafted out. Up from the magma rose a demon more terrifying then any of the ones Romano had conjured up so far: a massive red demon with four long horns and a pair of vast bat-like wings, clad in spiked armor. It stood at least nine feet tall and it silently stared down on Y in disgust, as if the Phantom Duelist were merely some filth the demon had stepped in.

 

“Now that you're good and terrified, I activate Malacoda's special ability!” taunted Romano. “By sending a Burning Abyss monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can lower the Attack and Defense Points of one of your monsters by the Attack and Defense Points of my monster! So I'll ice the 'Barbar' in my hand to weaken your Zorro!”

 

Malacoda raised one hand and pointed an accusatory finger at Zorro. A bolt of blue hellfire shot out and ignited Zorro. However, instead of burning the Master Thief, it weakened him, causing him to hunch over with his sword as a makeshift cane.

 

Master Thief – Zorro the Swashbuckler (1700 ATK/ 1300 DEF) > (0 ATK/ 300 DEF)

 

“Now, Barbar's effect activate! I banish my Alich and Calcab to hit you for 600 points of damage!”

 

Y felt the chain against his throat once more. He rasped for breath as he felt Barbar pull the chain tight against his windpipe.

 

**Y's Life Points: 3100 > 2500**

 

“Now, I'm going to end this game!” shouted Romano. “Malacoda, attack his Zorro and end this!”

 

As Malacoda poised itself to strike, Y held out a hand. “Not so fast! I activate my Trap Card, Master Thief's Inside Man!”

 

A Trap Card flipped face up, revealing a cowboy casting aside his disguise as Kaibaman and holding a goblin at gunpoint.

 

“When you declare an attack, I can banish a Master Thief from my hand or Field to make your attack monster attack you directly and then destroy itself! I banish a Master Thief from my hand to redirect your Malacoda's attack!”

 

Malacoda turned mid-stride and looked at Romano. Hellfire bloomed in its hands and it threw it right into Romano's face.

 

“Auuuuuuuuugh!” howled Romano.

 

**Romano's Life Points: 4000 > 1300**

 

“Hrrrrg...so what? When Malacoda's destroyed, it'll activate just like all other Burning Abyss monsters!” snarled Romano.

 

“Oh, that's the best part.” laughed Y. “You see, when Inside Man's effect destroys the monster that it redirected, it doesn't get sent to _your_ Graveyard....”

 

Romano gasped in shock as Malacoda's card disappeared.

 

“...It gets sent to **mine**.” said Y.

 

Romano clenched his fists, his face growing red with rage. “You bastard!” he spat. “You have some nerve, turning my cards against me!”

 

“That's what a thief does...he takes your valued possessions and uses them for himself.” replied Y. “Now, I do believe it's my turn...”

 

“Fine, take your damn turn! But I'll shoot you myself when this is done!” snarled Romano.

 

“We'll see about that...” chuckled Y, drawing a card. He grinned. “And with this card....victory is at hand.” he said, pointing a gloved finger at the mob boss. “I activate 'Pot of Desires'! By banishing the top 10 cards in my Deck, I draw 2 cards!”

 

“What? Are you seriously banishing 10 cards? That's a quarter of the average Deck!” said Romano, sounding shocked that his opponent would do such a thing.

 

“Oh, don't worry about me,” Y said as he drew two cards. “Because I've got exactly what I need to beat you. I summon Master Thief – Mochizuki the Ninja!”

 

Standing beside Zorro appeared a woman clad in forest green ninja attire, with a mask that covered everything from her nose down. She held her katana out, giving Romano a stare of contempt.

 

 

Master Thief – Mochizuki the Ninja (WIND-Warrior/Effect-LV 4-1900 ATK, 1200 DEF)

 

“Now, I activate Mochizuki's ability! By discarding a monster from my hand, I get to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Master Thief from my hand or Deck. So, I'm going to Special Summon Master Thief – Turpin the Brute from my Deck!

 

Mochizuki slammed a scroll to the floor and out of it emerged a Victorian-era highwayman clad in black, wearing a tricorner hat and wielding twin flintlock pistols while riding on the back of a black horse.

Master Thief – Turpin the Brute (DARK-Warrior/Effect-LV 4-1600 ATK, 1500 DEF)

 

“So what?” asked Romano. “My Traveler of the Burning Abyss has 2500 Defense Points, none of your Master Thieves will be able to destroy him!”

 

“I'm not done yet!” said Y. “With three Master Thieves on the field, I can Link Summon the greatest Master Thief!”

 

The Link Summoning portal materialized in front of Y. “Arrowheads confirmed!” yelled Y. “The summoning conditions are three Master Thieves! I set Zorro the Swashbuckler, Mochizuki the Ninja, and Turpin the Brute in the Link Markers!”

 

Zorro, Mochizuki, and Turpin turned into brilliantly shining orbs of red light and entered the arrow on the top as well as the lower left and lower right. “Circuit combine!” shouted Takeru. “Protector of the weak! Scourge of the tyrants! Emerge from the shadows, hero of Sherwood Forest! Link Summon, Master Thief- Hood the Merry!”

 

Out of the Link portal rose a figure dressed in a green hooded tunic, with a quiver of arrows slung over his back and a longbow held in one hand. Though most of his face was obscured by the shadow cast by his hood, his wide, heroic smile was plainly visible. The thief took his place in the Extra Monster Zone that Cherubini once occupied and knocked an arrow into his longbow.

 

Master Thief – Hood the Merry (LIGHT-Warrior/Link/Effect-2500 ATK, Link 3, Link Arrows: Down, Top-Left, Top-Right)

 

“An impressive monster, but 2500 Attack Points won't destroy my monster!” snorted Romano. Y smirked. “Who said anything about destroying it?” taunted Y.

 

“Huh?! What are you talking about-”

 

It was at that point that Romano realized Hood's placement wasn't accidental- by going in the same spot that Cherubini had occupied, Hood had a Link Arrow pointing at Dante.

 

“I activate Hood the Merry's effect!” announced Y. “Once per turn, I can choose a monster that Hood the Merry points to and equip it to him!”

 

“Equip it?” repeated Romano. “But that means-”

 

And just like that, it dawned on him what Y was doing. “Noooooo!” howled Romano, eyes bulging as he realized he was doomed. Dante disappeared to Y's Spell/Trap Zone, equipping itself to Hood the Merry.

 

“This is the curtain call, Romano!” Y said proudly. Romano dropped to his knees. “Please, don't do this!” pleaded Romano. “I'll give ya anything...money, rare cards, anything you want! Have mercy!”

 

“Did the student you beat up for his card ask for mercy?” Y asked, his words accusatory, like Romano was standing on trial for his crimes. “Did you give it to him?” asked Y.

 

“Please, no, don't do this! Not in front of my men!” begged Romano. Y shook his head before pointing a finger at the mob boss with a dramatic flourish. “Hood the Merry, attack his Life Points directly!” commanded Y. “Deadeye Arrow!”

 

Hood aimed his bow at the groveling mob boss and took careful aim. With one fluid motion, the legendary archer pulled back the arrow and released it. The arrow sailed through the air smoothly before striking Romano, who cried out in anguish despite not actually being wounded.

 

**Romano's Life Points: 1300 > 0**

 

The D-Field that had surrounded the two duelists began to fade as Y stepped towards the sprawled-out form of Boss Romano, stooping down to search him. He went through the mob boss' pockets until he found the real Crystron Phoenix that he had came for. As he stood back up, a gaggle of gangsters with guns circled him, weapons trained on his head.

 

“Don't move, dirtbag!” yelled one of the gangsters. Y chuckled. “Fellas, I'd love to stay and chat but I've got a _lot_ of cards to return...”

 

A hidden compartment opened up in the Phantom Duelist's Duel Disk, dispensing a small spherical object. In one quick movement, Y snatched the object and threw it down to the floor. There was a loud 'pop' and a bright flash, followed by a large billowing cloud of white smoke. “Get him!” yelled one of the gangsters. They all leaped towards where they though Y was- only to tackle thin air. Y had disappeared...

 

 

 

–

 

It was early in the morning when Takeru got out of bed. The ache left in his body from Boss Romano's goons was nothing compared to the ache of losing his best card. He slowly got dressed for class and was headed out the door when he found an envelope taped to his door, with his name written on it in bold black marker. Curious, Takeru leaned down to pick it up and turned it over. On the other side of the envelope were the words 'Courtesy of Phantom Duelist Y'.

 

 

Takeru warily opened the envelope and his jaw dropped when he saw that inside the envelope was his Crystron Phoenix. However, he wasn't the only one waking up to find stolen cards returned- dozens of Duelists that Romano's gang had preyed upon found themselves reunited with their seized property.

 

 

 

==

 

Card Database:

 

Resonant Conversion (Spell Card): Target 1 Level 4 or lower Tuner you control, it becomes a Tuner Synchro Monster. Destroy the targeted monster during your End Phase.

 

 

 

Master Thief – Zorro The Swashbuckler (WIND-Warrior/Effect-LV 4-1700 ATK, 1300 DEF): When this card battles a monster your opponent controls, you can discard 2 cards from your hand to take control of that monster.

 

Master Thief's Inside Man (Trap Card): When an opponent's monster declares an attack: banish a 'Master Thief' monster from your hand or Field, the attacking monster attacks your opponent directly instead (regardless of how many monsters your opponent controls). The attacking monster is then sent to your GY.

 

Master Thief – Mochizuki the Ninja (WIND-Warrior/Effect-LV 4-1900 ATK, 1200 DEF): Once per turn, you can discard 1 monster from your hand to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Master Thief' monster from your hand or Deck. When this card is destroyed, add 1 'Master Thief' monster from your Deck to your hand.

 

 

Master Thief – Turpin the Brute (DARK-Warrior/Effect-LV 4-1600 ATK, 1500 DEF): When this card inflicts damage to your opponent by battle, you can target 1 face-up Spell or Trap Card they control and take control of it.

 

Master Thief – Hood the Merry (LIGHT-Warrior/Link/Effect-2500 ATK, Link 3, Link Arrows: Down, Top-Left, Top-Right): Link Materials: 3 'Master Thief' monsters. Once per turn, you can select 1 monster this card points to and equip it to this card. (This monster can only have 1 monster equipped to it at a time.) If this card would be destroyed by battle or card effect, destroy an equipped monster instead.

 


End file.
